Coastguard Rescue Teams News

A Valaris drillship went adrift on Tuesday evening, breaking free from moorings near the port at Hunterston, North Ayrshire, Scotland.According to BBC, which was the first to report on the incident on Wednesday, "a major rescue operation has been ongoing overnight," when the 228 meters drillship, Valaris DS4, broke free and started drifting without power.According to the news agency, coastguard rescue teams, vessels, and a helicopter were dispatched to the scene, and no injuries have been reported.Offshore Engineer has reached out to Valaris and Maritime and Coastguard Agency, seeking more info. Valaris did not immediately respond. A…

At around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, HM Coastguard was alerted to a collision and reports that a small boat was stuck under the prow of the Sandbanks chain ferry in Dorset, England.HM Coastguard sent Swanage and Poole Coastguard rescue teams, and two RNLI lifeboats from Poole attended.Two people on board the small boat, which is described as a 22-foot privately owned shrimper, were recovered onto the ferry without injuries.The vessel had become hung up on the side of the ferry, with…

British multinational defence technology company Qinetiq collaborates with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to investigate how drone technology can strengthen their Search and Rescue (SAR) missions.Small unmanned air systems are delivering disruptive change across the industry. Ten years ago what was predominantly a niche hobby, or military technology, has now found wide commercial success. Anyone can easily have an eye in the sky and recent publicity is changing the way organisations view their problems.The Maritime Coastguard Agency (MCA) oversees search and rescue operations in the UK. Their volunteer Coastguard Rescue Teams respond to time-critical calls and work tirelessly to save lives.Funded by QinetiQ’s Internal Research and Development…

Severe weather has caused semi-submersible drilling rig Transocean Winner to break free from tow and run aground off the western isles of Scotland, the U.K. Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) said. There are no personnel on board the rig and there is no risk to life, MCA said. There is 280mt of diesel on board. The tug Alp Forward encountered severe weather west of the Isle of Lewis while towing the Transocean Winner, and remained connected to the rig overnight on Sunday but was unable to make headway with the tow. The MCA’s Emergency Towing Vessel Herakles was deployed from Orkney on Sunday night to assist. Early Monday morning, the tow line parted, and due to the severe weather conditions it was not possible to reconnect.

On Tuesday, June 21 at 4:30 a.m., a small local fishing vessel reported seeing a static white light 30 meters above the cliffs at Mull of Kintyre, Scotland. Worried that there might be someone in trouble on the cliffs, the U.K. Coastguard sent Oban and Campbeltown Coastguard Rescue Teams, Campbeltown RNLI all weather lifeboat and the U.K. Coastguard search and rescue helicopter, callsign R999, based at Prestwick, to the location. Arriving on scene, the Campbeltown Lifeboat discovered that the bright light was actually being used to attract moths to a white sheet as part of a biodiversity night survey. All teams were stood down and returned to base. Stephen Turner, U.K.

The U.K. Coastguard is searching for the crew of a sunken fishing vessel near St David’s Head, Pembrokeshire.   The Coastguard said it received a 999 call from a member of the public just before 14:30, April 28, to say they could see a fishing vessel in difficulty near the rocks at St David’s Head.   The fishing vessel subsequently sank. It is unknown how many crew members were on board.    The Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at St Athan, Coastguard Rescue Teams from St David's Head and Fishguard are searching the area.

A seventh whale has been reported in shallow water off the coast of Mundesley, Norfolk this morning, February 9. A member of the Mundesley Coastguard Rescue Team contacted the UK Coastguard just after 10 a.m. this morning to report the whale was 300-400 yards off shore. The whale, which is the seventh whale in that area, was reported to be alive and thrashing about in the shallow water. UK Coastguard has alerted Happisburgh and Mundesley Coastguard Rescue Teams who are currently on the shoreline keeping a watchful eye over the position of whale. British Divers Marine Life Rescue, the Zoological Society of London, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s Receiver of Wreck and the local council have also been informed.

Press release - Dover and London Coastguard Operations Centers (CGOC) have become part of the new Coastguard national network. Work has been carried out at both search and rescue coordination centers to upgrade the technology and introduce new systems. This means Dover and London CGOC will be connected to the National Maritime Operations Center (NMOC) in Hampshire and other Coastguard stations around the country, which will be able to offer mutual support and share work during busy periods.

A man found guilty of making numerous hoax calls to the U.K. Coastguard has been jailed for four months, the U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) reported. Alasdair Munro, 55, from Kyleakin, Skye, denied all charges before Sheriff Scott at Portree Sheriff Court on August 27, 2015, but was found guilty of an offence contrary to the Communications Act 2003 section 127, according to the MCA. Munro had reportedly called HM Coastguard several times on October 30, 2013, claiming a yacht was lost in Loch Hourn. Munro said he had spoken to someone on VHF radio stating that they were lost in Loch Hourn and didn’t know how to get out. The call led to the deployment of a Mallaig RNLI Lifeboat and Kyle Coastguard Rescue Teams to search for the vessel…

The search for eight crew missing from the cement carrier, ‘Cemfjord’ which capsized and sank in the Pentland Firth has been suspended this evening, with no sign found of the missing crew. The lifeboats completed their search areas earlier this afternoon and returned to shore. The helicopter, coastguard rescue teams, fixed wing aircraft and HMS Somerset continued to search but sadly, by last light this evening nothing was found. The families of the missing crew have been notified. The Coastguard will continue to broadcast messages to all shipping requesting that they are informed about any information or sightings that could be related to the vessel. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch has been informed and is about to begin work on the investigation.

Falmouth Coastguard Operations Center (CGOC) will become part of the new Coastguard national network for the first time this week. Work has been carried out at the search and rescue coordination center at Pendennis Point, upgrading the technology and introducing new systems. This means Falmouth CGOC will be connected to the National Maritime Operations Center (NMOC) in Hampshire and other Coastguard stations around the country, which will be able to offer mutual support during busy periods. From Saturday, November 1, 2014, Falmouth CGOC and the new national network will start to take on operations from Brixham Coastguard. The changes to Her Majesty’s Coastguard will see the NMOC and 10 other CGOCs around the U.K. work together to manage the workload.

Coastguard Rescue Teams from Hastings and Rye Bay have been working to rescue a Labradoodle called Pepper that slipped over the cliffs at Ecclesbourne Glen near Hastings yesterday afternoon at just before 3 p.m. The call was passed to the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at Dover (MRCC) by Sussex Police. The MRCC sent Hastings Coastguard Rescue Team to the scene and a cliff man spotted Pepper on a very narrow ridge. The Hastings team then spent the next four hours trying to persuade Pepper to come close enough to them to be rescued but she refused.

On April 19, at 03:24 Humber Coastguard received a call from the standby vessel DUTCH PEARL, reporting that the jack-up rig VAGANT had stuck fast on the sea bed and was being swamped by the rising tide. 19 crewmembers from the rig were swiftly evacuated to the DUTCH PEARL and MRCC Humber took coordination of the incident. Hartlepool RNLI all-weather lifeboat was launched to the scene and transferred 16 of the crew members to Teesport. Coastguard Rescue Teams from Hartlepool and Redcar were alerted to assist with reception of the evacuated casualties ashore. Three rig crew members remain on the standby vessel Dutch Pearl and intend to return to the rig at low tide to attempt to free her from the seabed.

Grampian Police reported to Aberdeen Coastguard that three youths were shouting for help after leaving Cove Harbour, 2 miles south of Aberdeen, in a rowing boat. Aberdeen Inshore and all weather RNLI lifeboats were requested to launch. of the youths on the boat had made it to shore and had raised the alarm. taken back to Aberdeen by lifeboat. All youths were wet but un-harmed. more than oars. The Incident was closed by 1:00 a.m. this morning. "This was potentially a very serious incident. all were taken at all. the youths had fallen in. says David Robertson of Aberdeen Coastguard.

The timetable for completing the modernization of Her Majesty’s Coastguard has been announced. The new national network is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015, with the National Maritime Operations Centre (NMOC) operating from autumn 2014. The introduction of the national network will enable the NMOC and all the other 10 Coastguard Operation Centers (CGOC) to work together to manage the workload on a national scale. This means in a search and rescue incident, even though the coordination will still be managed by the relevant CGOC, there will be a much bigger and better support network available nationally. There will be no reduction in rescue resources, which remain unchanged by the modernization of HM Coastguard.

A vessel that first reported suffering steering problems off the south west of Scotland early this afternoon has now been found and towed to safety. Liverpool Coastguard received a 999 call from one of the two people on board the vessel just after 1 p.m. this afternoon, reporting they were having mechanical problems. They said they were just south of Burrow Head, having set off from Oban and heading to Liverpool. The Ramsey RNLI all-weather lifeboat was sent to the scene, but they could not track down the vessel. Liverpool Coastguard managed to get hold of those on board again and soon established they were in a different position near the Cumbrian coast. The Workington RNLI all-weather lifeboat joined the search, but again on arrival at this new position there was no sign of the vessel.

Liverpool Coastguard  had received a distress call from the cargo ship ‘Carrier’ telling them they had run aground at Raynes Jetty, Llanddulas (on the coast of Wales). A strong gale was blowing and a five metre swell was reported. Because of the location of the grounding Holyhead Coastguard coordinated the rescue. All seven of the Polish crew were taken uninjured from the ship by two rescue helicopters (the first from RNAS Prestwick, the second from RAF Leconfield). The A55 (road) was closed to allow the rescue services safe access to the vessel. Coastguard Rescue teams from Rhyl and Llandudno offered assistance to the rescued crew whilst the RNLI lifeboats from Llandudno and Rhyl launched.

The U.K. Coastguards has been working through the night as parts of the U.K. have been hit by one of the largest tidal surges in decades. Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) at Stornoway, Aberdeen, Humber, Holyhead, Liverpool, Thames, Dover and Falmouth have been managing the rescue efforts. Nearly 50 Coastguard Rescue Teams have been sent to some of the worst affected areas. Coastguards from elsewhere in the country were also sent to help. In Moray, the Burghead, Lossiemouth and Buckie Coastguard Rescue Teams…

A crewman has been airlifted to James Paget University Hospital this morning after a fire on board a 17-meter wind farm support vessel, Norfolk Tern, four nautical miles off Great Yarmouth, the U.K. Maritime and Coastguard Agency reported. Humber Coastguard said it received a call from the Norfolk Tern just after 8 a.m. reporting they had a fire in their starboard engine, which they managed to bring it under control, but one crewman was believed to be suffering the effects of breathing in too much smoke.

Ten people have been rescued after the bus they were travelling in was hit by a large wave on the seafront road at Newgale in Wales, and 6 from a disabled French commercial fishing vessel off the southwest of England coast in a 60 mph wind. Milford Haven Coastguard say they were contacted with reports that the bus was stuck on the seafront, having been hit by a large wave and was surrounded by water. The wind at the time was gusting over 50mph. Broadhaven and St. Davids Coastguard Rescue Teams…

Yarmouth Coastguard received a radio call from the tug HT Blade, stating they had an engine fire with three crew on board. The Maritime Incident Response Group (MIRG) was activated and Coastguard Rescue teams from Lowestoft, Cromer and Felixstowe were tasked as well as requesting the launch of the Cromer lifeboat to the scene. A Rescue helicopter from RAF Wattisham is transporting the MIRG crew and a cargo vessel 'RMS Riga' is offering assistance in the area.